SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023 – Page 55

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:8

10:8a

The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated but many English versions translate as “and” indicates that the next action in the story is taking place. Use whatever connecting word is natural in your language to express this.

10:8b

Do not be afraid of them: The pronoun them refers to the Amorite kings and their armies. It may be necessary to make this explicit in some languages. For example:

don’t be afraid of the Amorites (Contemporary English Version)

for I have delivered them into your hand: The clause I have delivered them into your hand states the reason that the Israelites did not need to be afraid of the Amorite armies. The clause delivered them into your hand is a Hebrew idiom. It indicates that Yahweh will enable the Israelites to defeat the Amorites. The words Yahweh spoke to Joshua are similar to the encouraging words he said to Joshua in 1:2,5,9.

Here are some other ways to translate this idiom:

I have given you victory over them (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
they will run away when you attack (Contemporary English Version)

10:8c

Not one of them shall stand against you: The clause Not one of them shall stand against you is a Hebrew idiom. It indicates that the Amorites will not be able to defeat the Israelites. All the Amorites will die or will run away. This happened in 10:10–11.

Here are some other ways to translate this idiom:

not one of them can resist you (NET Bible)
-or-
none of them will be able to fight and defeat you

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:40

Paragraph 10:40–43

This paragraph is a conclusion to the account of the battles that Israelites fought in southern Canaan. These verses summarize what the Israelite army accomplished. These events were told in detail in 10:28–39.

10:40a

So Joshua conquered the whole region: Joshua is named as the leader of the Israelite army. He defeated the whole region by leading the army as they fought. In some languages it may be more natural to include the Israelite army with Joshua as a compound subject. For example:

Joshua and the Israelite soldiers defeated the whole land

the whole region: The phrase the whole region refers to the region of southern Canaan. The towns that the Israelite army captured in chapter 10 were all in southern Canaan.

10:40b

the hill country: The phrase the hill country refers to the central mountain range that extended from Ai and Gibeon in the north to Hebron and Debir in the south. See how you translated this term in 9:1.

the Negev: The phrase the Negev refers to the wilderness area south of Canaan.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the dry country in the south (Good News Translation)
-or-
the Southern Desert (Contemporary English Version)

the foothills: The phrase the foothills refers to the western foothills that were between the mountains and the coastal plain. This term was used in 9:1 and you should translate it the same way in both places.

and the slopes: The phrase the slopes refers to the steep slopes that lead down from the hill country eastward to the Dead Sea.

together with all their kings: The phrase all their kings refers to the kings of the towns in these areas. It may be more natural in some languages to include the term about the kings in the first part of the verse, as in Good News Translation:

Joshua conquered the whole land. He defeated the kings of the hill country, the eastern slopes, and the western foothills, as well as those of the dry country in the south. (Good News Translation)

10:40c

leaving no survivors: The clause leaving no survivors has occurred five times in verses 10:28–39. It is repeated to emphasize that Joshua obeyed Yahweh’s command in Deuteronomy 20:16–18 to destroy everyone in the land of Canaan. It is recommended that you translate it the same way each time.

He devoted to destruction everything that breathed: The clause devoted to destruction everything that breathed is similar to the clauses in verses 28, 35, 37, and 39.

devoted to destruction: The phrase devoted to destruction translates the Hebrew verb that means a person or thing is claimed by Yahweh and cannot be bought back by any means, but must be destroyed.

everything that breathed: The phrase everything that breathed means “every person.” It does not refer to animals. This expression is also used in Deuteronomy 20:16.

10:40d

just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded: The clause as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded refers to the command that Yahweh gave to Joshua and the Israelites through Moses in Deuteronomy 20:16–18. It may be more natural in some languages to state this as an independent sentence. For example:

This was what the Lord God of Israel had commanded. (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you include a footnote or a reference to Deuteronomy 20:16–18.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 12:6

12:6a

Verse 6 is a summary of how Moses and the Israelite army conquered the land east of the Jordan River and divided it among Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh.

Moses, the servant of the LORD: You should translate the phrase the servant of the LORD the same way you did in Joshua 1:1.

and the Israelites: The word Israelites indicates the Israelite army.

had struck them down: The pronoun them refers to King Sihon and King Og. It may be helpful to make this reference explicit. For example:

Moses, the servant of the Lord, had destroyed the people of King Sihon and King Og. (New Living Translation (2004))

12:6b

In the Hebrew text, the phrase “Moses, the servant of the LORD” is repeated here to emphasize the status of Moses as the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. In some languages, it may be natural to repeat this phrase, as the Hebrew text does.

and given their land as an inheritance: The clause given their land as an inheritance indicates that Moses divided the land on the east side of the Jordan River between the two and a half tribes, who became the owners of it.

12:6c

to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: The phrase the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh indicates the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Makir, who was a son of Manasseh. The people of Reuben and Gad asked to settle east of the Jordan River because it was good land for shepherding herds and flocks. This story is told in Numbers 32:1-5. The descendants of Makir, from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered the land of Gilead and settled there in Numbers 32:39-40).

the half-tribe of Manasseh: Some English versions translate this as East Manasseh, because these people lived on the east side of the Jordan River.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:26

13:26a

the territory from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim: It is recommended that you begin a new sentence here.

Heshbon: The town of Heshbon was about 25 kilometers northeast of the Dead Sea, and southwest of Amman, Jordan. It formed the south boundary of the land of the tribe of Gad.

Ramath-mizpeh: The town of Ramath-mizpeh was one of the towns that the tribe of Gad inherited. The location of Ramath-mizpeh is uncertain.

Here is another way to spell the name of this town:

Ramath Mizpah (New International Version, NET Bible)

Betonim: The town of Betonim was sixteen miles northeast of Jericho. Its name today is Khirbet Batneh.

13:26b

and from Mahanaim: The phrase from Mahanaim indicates that the land of the tribe of Gad included the town of Mahanaim. Mahanaim was to the north, at the border between the tribes of Gad and Manasseh. Its location is uncertain.

to the border of Debir: There is a textual issue with the word Debir.

(1) In the Hebrew text this word is spelled lidber. In 2 Samuel 9:4 there is a town called Lo-debar. Some scholars think that the town mentioned here in Joshua is Lo-debar. However, they have to amend the Hebrew spelling slightly to make it fit.

The town of Lo-debar in 2 Samuel 9:4 was in the Jordan River Valley, ten miles south of the Sea of Galilee.

Here are some ways that English versions spell this name:

Lo-debar (New Living Translation (2004), New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
Lodebar (Good News Translation)
-or-
Lidbir (God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
Lidebor (Contemporary English Version)

(2) Some ancient versions of Joshua omit the letter “l” when they spell this name. They spell it idber. From this we get the English name Debir as in the Berean Standard Bible. However, there is no town known by the name of Debir east of the Jordan River. For example:

Debir (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version)

The commentaries do not agree on this issue. It is recommended that you follow the majority language version of your area in translating this word.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:10

15:10a

The border curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir: The clause curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir indicates that the border line was not straight. It went on a curve as it went westward to Mount Seir.

Mount Seir: The location of this mountain is uncertain. It may be a mountain ridge west of Kiriath-jearim and north of Chesalon, about eleven miles west of Jerusalem.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The border then curved to the west of the town of Baalah to Mount Seir
-or-
The border went in a curve west from Baalah to Seir Mountain

15:10b

ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon): The phrase the northern slope of Mount Jearim refers to the northern ridge of Mount Jearim.

Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon): Mount Jearim was one of the low hills west of Jerusalem.

There is an interpretation issue here. There are two ways to understand the relationship between Chesalon and Mount Jearim.

(1) Chesalon is another name for Mount Jearim. For example, the English Standard Version says:

Mount Jearim (that is Chesalon)

(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New International Version, God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Good News Translation, King James Version)

(2) Chesalon is the name of a town. For example:

the town of Kesalon on the northern slope of Mount Jearim (New Living Translation (2004))

(New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is followed by most English versions.

Chesalon: Here are some ways that the English versions spell this word:

Chesalon (Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, King James Version)
-or-
Kesalon (New International Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The border continued to the northern side of Mount Jearim (also called Mount Chesalon)
-or-
Then the border went down along the northern ridge of Mount Jearim (which is also called Mount Chesalon)

15:10c

went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to Timnah: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The border descended to the town of Beth-shemesh and went on to the town of Timnah
-or-
It continued going down ⌊southwest⌋ to Beth-shemesh and then ⌊northwest⌋ to Timnah

crossed to Timnah: There is an interpretation issue here:

(1) The border goes to the town of Timnah. For example:

and on to Timnah (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, New International Version, NET Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), King James Version)

(2) The border passes by the town of Timnah. For example:

passes along by Timnah (English Standard Version)

(English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This is the option taken by most English versions. However, the Hebrew grammar can be understood either way, and probably both are true.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:42

Paragraph: 15:42-44

This paragraph is a list of more towns that were given to the tribe of Judah.

15:42

Libnah, Ether, Ashan: This is the beginning of a new list of towns. It may be helpful to make this clear.

Here is another way to translate this part of the verse:

⌊There were also the towns of⌋ Libnah, Ether, Ashan…

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 17:1

Paragraph: 17:1–2

17:1a

Now this was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh: The clause allotment for the tribe of Manasseh translates the same Hebrew words as in Joshua 15:1, except that here it refers to the clans of the tribe of Manasseh rather than the clans of the tribe of Judah. It refers to the land that the clan of Manasseh received when Joshua and Eleazar cast lots for them. It is recommended that you translate this the same way as you did in 15:1.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Then the clan of Manasseh received land according to the lot
-or-
Then the descendants of Manasseh were assigned land by lot
-or-

⌊Joshua⌋ gave land to the descendants of Manasseh according to the lot

17:1b

as Joseph’s firstborn son: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

He was Joseph’s first son
-or-
Manasseh was the oldest son of Joseph

as: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as shows that the phrase “Joseph’s firstborn son” is additional information.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was also allotted land (NET Bible)
-or-
This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn (New International Version)
-or-
A part of the land west of the Jordan was assigned to some of the families descended from Joseph’s older son Manasseh (Good News Translation)

17:1c

for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and father of the Gileadites: There is an interpretation issue concerning the name Gileadites.

(1) Gileadites is the name of a person, Gilead. For example:

To Machir…the father of Gilead (English Standard Version)

(English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New American Bible, Revised Edition, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(2) Gileadites is the name of a group of people who descended from a person name Gilead. For example:

Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version)

(3) Gileadites is the name of a region. For example:

Machir…the ancestor of the people living in Gilead (God’s Word)

(God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In this phrase the word “Gilead” refers to a person, not to the region of Gilead. This is the interpretation taken by the majority of English versions and by some commentaries. The person named Gilead is also mentioned in Numbers 26:29-30 and 1 Chronicles 7:14|. The region of Gilead is mentioned in Joshua 17:1d.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Machir was the firstborn son of Manasseh and the father of Gilead
-or-
Machir was Manasseh’s oldest son. The name of his son was Gilead

17:1d

who had received Gilead and Bashan: Gilead and Bashan were regions. They were areas of land that were east of the Jordan River.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

he received the regions of Gilead and Bashan ⌊east of the Jordan River⌋
-or-
Machir received the lands of Gilead and Bashan ⌊which were east of the Jordan River⌋
-or-
they gave Machir land in the regions of Gilead and Bashan ⌊which were east of the Jordan River⌋

17:1e

because Machir was a man of war: The phrase man of war indicates that Machir was a skilled fighter. Numbers 32:39.tells how Machir and his descendants went to Gilead and defeated the people who were living there. Because of this he received Gilead as his inheritance.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

because he was a skilled fighter
-or-
because he fought well in battle. ⌊He had fought the people of Gilead and Bashan and captured their land.⌋

General Comment on 17:1d–e

In some languages it may be more natural to translate 1e before 1d. For example:

Machir was a skilled fighter, so he received the territories of Gilead and Bashan ⌊on the east side of the Jordan River⌋ .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 18:15

18:15a

On the south side the border began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim: Joshua 18:15-19 describes the south border of Benjamin’s land.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The south border began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim
-or-
The boundary of Benjamin’s land on the south started at the limits of the town of Kiriath-jearim

18:15b

and extended westward: The Hebrew text is difficult. The Hebrew text reads “and the boundary goes westward.” However, that contradicts verse 14. In verse 14 the western boundary came to an end. The description of the southern boundary begins here and is described from west to east. The English versions have handled this difficulty in several ways:

(1) Some versions omit the word westward. For example:

and projected… (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(New American Bible, Revised Edition, Good News Translation)

(2) Some versions follow the Hebrew text. For example:

and extended westward (NET Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(3) Some versions change the text to follow Joshua 15:9, which describes the same border, going from east to west. For example:

and the boundary goes from there to Ephron (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version)

(4) Some versions move the word “west” to a different place in the sentence. For example:

The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west (New International Version)

(New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This makes the least change to the text, while still making sense. If you do this, it is recommended that you add a footnote to explain the Hebrew text. For example:

FOOTNOTE: The Hebrew text says: “and the boundary goes westward.”

to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah: This is the spring mentioned in Joshua 15:9b. You should translate this phrase as you did there.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The border went on to the spring of Nephtoah
-or-
Then the border continued to the spring of water called Nephtoah

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:40

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 12:6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:10

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:42

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 17:1

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 18:15

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